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HUTTONIAN THEORY. 



481 



perplexity, thefe are qualities inherent in the 

 fubjed which it is intended to defcribe. It were, 

 no doubt, to be wifned, that after emerging into 

 the regions of day, Mr Kirwan had been as fuc- 

 cefsful in copying the beauty and fimplicity of 

 nature, as in reprefenting the diforder and in- 

 corraftency of the chaotic mafs. But his cof- 

 mology is without unity in its principles, or con- 

 fiftency in its parts : the caufes introduced, are, 

 for the moll part, fuch as will account for one 

 fet of appearances juft as well as for another; 

 or, if any of them is likely to prove inadequate 

 to the effed afcribed to it, a new and arbitrary 



hypothefi 



ance. 



The 



s always ready to come to its aflift* 

 information given is feldom exa6b : 

 a multitude of fads brought together, without 

 the order and difcuffion effential to precife know- 



d an infinity of quotations, amalfed 

 without criticifm or comparifon, afford proofs of 

 extenfive reading, but of the moft hafty and fu- 

 perficial inquiry. Thus we have feen pafTages 

 from Ulloa and Frisi, produced in fupport of 

 opinions, which, when fairly ftated, they had 

 the moil dired tendency to overthrow. 

 422. In one refped, the geological writings of 



Kirwan are far inferior to De Lu 



They are 



evidently the produdions of a man who has not 

 feen nature with his own eyes ; who has ftudied 



w 



H h mineralogy 



\ 



